


Embracing the Familiar and Unfamiliar

by Sivictis



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28105347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sivictis/pseuds/Sivictis
Summary: Honestly, Derek thinks coffee is overrated. It’s sometimes too bitter, too sweet, and too creamy. It even burns his tongue most of the time. The supposedly different flavors taste all the same. However, his world of coffee drastically changes when he meets Stiles.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57
Collections: 12 Days of Sterek





	Embracing the Familiar and Unfamiliar

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo! First Sterek fanfic in years! I'm so happy to be writing for this lovely pairing again.

Honestly, Derek thinks coffee is overrated. 

He has never really been a fan of if way back when, and he doesn’t think he’ll start liking that kind of beverage now. It’s sometimes too bitter, too sweet, too creamy, and sometimes not even with enough milk. 

Derek remembers mornings when he still resided with Laura before finding full-time work and an apartment of his own a city over. Like clockwork, his sister would get up in the morning and start the coffee machine. The brew would be done by the time she had to head out. 

Some coffee would still be left over, and Derek would begrudgingly get a cup of it himself. He needed to also wake up and go about his day, after all - no matter how horrible the taste and how it always burned his tongue. 

Coffee, Derek supposes, does have its perks despite not being his ideal kind of drink. He wonders if it really just has to do with creating a morning routine for oneself, too. Get up, get refreshed, get coffee, get to work. During the mid-day break, there is also an opportunity to get another fill of that drink until it helps tide him over until leaving the office for the day. It’s lunchtime now, and he’s very much due for a coffee. 

He enters the elevator, presses “G” for the lower floor, smiles awkwardly at anyone looking his way, and finally, finally dashes out of the cramped space. Having his own office space is nice and he’s glad to be trusted to perform his duties with minimal supervision, but there is also something quite wonderful about being in more open locations. 

The coffee shop down the street is one of such spaces. On the outside, it’s a bit outdated with its wooden sign as opposed to the flashy neon ones belonging to the shops all around it. However, inside, it offers a calming atmosphere with classical music always playing in the background. 

That, and Derek thinks, the lemon tarts are absolutely divine. They’re just the right amount of sweet and sour. They are so worth it even if coupled with a cup of that cursed beverage.

When Derek enters the shop, the door chimes softly and he waits in line behind a few other customers. A place that has coffee as its main selling point isn’t ideal for lunch-goers, however, Derek is glad that others seem to also appreciate the shop. 

The customer in front of him finishes making their order and hurries along to find a seat. It’s all familiar. A routine. Predictable. Just how he likes it. 

So when Derek arrives in front of the counter and sees the not-the-usual worker there, he is surprised. 

“Hey, what can I getcha?” the man says. His hair is buzzed short and his warm eyes have a hint of mischief in them, as if he knows Derek is surprised about whatever is happening now. 

Derek stares for a few seconds before looking over the menu on the chalkboard across from him. It’s all for show, really. He’s been here enough times to know the offerings by heart. Familiar. Known. The person in front of him? Unfamiliar. Unknown. 

“A couple of lemon tarts and a medium coffee,” Derek says. He silently tells himself that he is only looking at the man before him to find a name tag. He doesn’t find one. 

“How would you like your coffee?” the mysterious man asks. 

“I don't,” Derek deadpans. 

He wants to go on a mini rant about how coffee is only a necessity to him because it never tastes good at all, but he restrains himself. For some reason, he wants to make a good first impression. Or somewhat good - he wants to face-palm himself. Saying “I don’t like coffee” to someone who works at a coffee shop?! Smooth. Real smooth. Good going, Derek. 

“I mean, I’ll try whatever you make for me,” Derek amends. 

The man in front of him nods and shrugs at the same time, looking at Derek curiously before calling on a co-worker. 

“Hey Allison?” he asks. “Can you fill in for me at the front? Gotta make a customized coffee for Mr. Handsome here.” 

Derek feels his face heat up a bit. He’s used to getting compliments about his looks, and he’s usually immune to flirtation, but experiencing the familiar with the unfamiliar is a strange feeling. Strange, but good.

“Can I get your name?” the man asks.

“Derek,” he replies. Then, “Can I get yours?”

“I’m not the one ordering coffee here,” the man grins. 

The spark of mischief is back in his eyes again. He takes out a marker and scribbles down Derek’s name on a medium paper cup. “I’ll bring your special coffee over to you. Give me a few,” he says. 

Derek grabs his tartes, pays, and leaves a tip before heading towards the sitting area. He glances at his receipt. Apparently, he’s customer number 69 today. _Nice._

He parks himself in front of one of the window seats and opens the recyclable paper bag containing the desserts. Biting into them is always a treat, and Derek thinks he deserves it after a busy morning of dealing with clients whose strong suit is not being tech-savvy at all. 

Earlier, a client called to complain to him because “printing out a document to edit it and scan it back into the system is too much work.” Then, there are always clients who would edit documents and complain about mistakes within them. Thank goodness cloud services have accountability in mind. Unauthorized changes? Not Derek’s fault at all - just look at the editing and access history.

As he reflects back on his morning and begins to mentally prepare himself for the afternoon, a fresh cup of coffee is placed right in front of him. 

Instead of examining the coffee, Derek looks up at the man who made it. 

“Thanks,” he says. A pause. “What kind of coffee is it?”

“Try it and find out,” the person replies. 

Derek brings the cup to his mouth and takes a sip. 

It’s hot, but not the kind that burns his tongue. It’s sweet, but not on the level of giving him a toothache. He’s never really noticed it before, but coffee can have a rich aroma after all. And Is that a hint of hazelnut coupled with espresso? 

He takes another sip and thinks he finally understands the appeal of coffee. 

Another sip. Derek thinks he’s in love. 

“Oh, to be understood and loved like a cup of coffee. The dream, really,” the man says. 

Whoops. Did Derek say those words out loud?

“You do make a really _ damn _ good coffee,” Derek acknowledges. He takes another sip and closes his eyes, savoring the flavor of it. 

“I’ve gotta get back to work, but I’ll make you another coffee next time, yeah?”

_ Next time.  _

Derek nods and enjoys the rest of his lunch hour filled with lemon tarts and whatever it is that mysterious man made for him.

Later, when Derek gets back to his office and there’s a brief lull in his work, he realizes that he didn’t get the man’s name. 

* * *

Derek knows he can’t survive on having desserts and coffee for lunch every day. He goes for other options throughout his week and decides to treat himself to the shop on Fridays. 

Each time, the now not-new-and-kind-of-familiar worker greets him during the lunch hour and makes a new coffee concoction for him to try. 

Derek is not only impressed by the sheer number of different combinations, but also by the man making them, too. He learns that the man is a university graduate and went to school for criminology with his friend and fellow co-worker, Scott. He learns that he has a knack for research, too. If anyone wants to find out anything, then he’s the person to go to. 

Derek also learns that the man’s name is Stiles.

Briefly, Derek wonders if Stiles already knows everything about him, too. Derek considers himself a rather private person who likes to limit his use of social media. However, when it comes to keeping up with his friends and sharing his own hobbies and interests with others, he supposes online platforms are alright. One can say he’s warmed up to them like coffee. 

Speaking of which, today’s brew is a delicious combination of toffee syrup with just the right amount of milk. It’s topped with a bit of whipped cream with some caramel lovingly drizzled on top of it. 

By now, Derek can tell what kind of coffee he’s having. The slight nuances in aroma and flavor really do make a difference, and he wonders if he’ll ever go back to making his own coffee ever again. 

The coffee he has at home and the free instant coffee at the office are nothing compared to Stiles’ delicious creations. How is this even  _ allowed?  _ To make a person so skeptic about a cursed bean beverage into its biggest fan in a little over a few months? 

Which reminds him - the holiday season is coming up, and towards the end of December, he’ll be getting a break from work. That means no more coffee and kind-of-maybe-totally-flirting sessions with Stiles during the lunch hour. 

After taking a long sip of today’s mocha blend, Derek compliments Stiles’ ability to make yet another great beverage. 

“The holidays are coming up,” he adds, trying to sound casual. “I’m due for a break for the rest of December. How about you?”

Stiles _ stares.  _ He opens his mouth for a few seconds and then closes it, as if trying to figure out what to say. 

“Me, too,” Stiles replies. 

Stiles’ voice comes out in almost a gasp. His face and ears blush a beautiful pink color. When he whips his head towards the shop counter where Allison and Scott are working and chatting amongst themselves, Scott gives him a thumbs up while Allison just smirks knowingly. Stiles then brings his attention back to Derek.

“Can I get your number?” Derek asks, smiling and taking out his cellphone. 

“Yeah! Yes! Of course!” Stile replies, nodding and taking the cellphone to type out the information. Then, “Can I get yours?”

“I’m not the one ordering coffee here,” Derek grins. He picks up his receipt and waves it briefly. He’s customer number 42 today. A wonderful number, he thinks. 

Stiles laughs. It’s a wonderful sound. 

This time, the spark of mischief is in Derek’s eyes. He takes out a pen and scribbles down his phone number on the receipt. 

“I’ll text you this evening,” Derek says.

“Looking forward to it,” Stiles grins. 

As Derek leaves the coffee shop, he overhears the conversation among Stiles, Allison, and Scott. 

“You _ seduced  _ him with coffee?!” Stiles’ friends say in unison.

Derek only smiles and shakes his head because he knows it to be true. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a Kudos and tell me about your favorite type of coffee!
> 
> I'm over on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Sivictis) as well, if you'd like say hello <3


End file.
